


Stuck on You

by apenguinandabear



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pining, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-14 08:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16036628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apenguinandabear/pseuds/apenguinandabear
Summary: Part of the SidGeno Photo Challenge, Round 2.Sidney is the owner of Adélie Sweets and spends a lot of time making taffy and pining after his tall, handsome Russian employee.





	1. Chapter 1

Sidney’s hands smell like cherries and vanilla. He’s been working the sugar mixture for about twenty minutes now, stretching and pulling it until it gradually became lighter in color. His hands are sore and his arms are starting to cramp, but there’s a kind of satisfaction behind the hard work. He lets the taffy cool and then rolls out the mixture into long ropes, before cutting them into bite-sized pieces and wrapping them in colorful wax paper. He’ll head out to the beach as the sun rises and set up his little table and umbrella to battle the weather. The cherry-vanilla taffy is a new flavor he’s testing out, and there’s no better way to receive feedback than to have dozens of hungry surfers sample the free treats in exchange for a few comments.

Sidney’s taffy store, Adélie Sweets, is his pearl. Everything from the baby blue walls with cream trim to the maple wood floors had been carefully selected. His taffy flavors, he has nineteen now, were all tested meticulously to the point that Taylor had complained she never wanted to see another piece of taffy again. But Sidney doesn’t mind her grumbling. The store, located right along the pier, is the one safe space he’s managed to carve out for himself bit by bit over the years.

 

He’s finishing up wrapping up the last piece when Geno walks into the store, his hair mussed up from sleep and work apron hanging loosely from between his fingers. His eyes are still halfway closed as he cards a hand through his hair and Sidney feels betrayed at the sudden lurch his heart makes. He’s wondered before, of course, how it would feel to run his own fingers through Geno’s hair. More than once he’d felt embarrassingly jealous of Geno’s friends, who occasionally come tumbling in, yelling in a mixture of Russian and English while grabbing Geno into a headlock and messing up his hair. They like to wrestle and bump into various furniture before settling down and asking Sidney with puppy eyes, “Any free samples, Sid?”

 

“Morning Sid,” Geno greets, barely managing to stifle a yawn.

“Hey, G. I’m about to head out in a bit.” Sidney gestures to the back of the store. “There’s some base mixture ready if you want to start with flavoring.”

Geno gives him a little salute and Sidney affectionately rolls his eyes, ignoring the sass. The sun is starting to peek in through the store’s windows and he sets out toward his truck holding that day’s samples, the cherry-vanilla and a batch of maple pecan. He’s unlocked the door and is about to pull the handle when he feels Geno’s warm hand grab his wrist. Sidney jerks back, startled enough that he drops the paper bag and manages to slam his right hand into the side mirror. He’s too busy staring up wildly at Geno to notice the taffy pieces that have spilled all over the pavement.

“Geno- What the hell? What’s wrong?”

Geno surprisingly looks just as confused as Sid feels. “What wrong with you, Sid? You okay? Didn’t mean to scare, just want to talk” Geno says as he bends down to start picking up the fallen pieces.

Looking at the ground, Sidney can feel himself beginning to blush wildly. What the hell was wrong with him? All Geno did was grab his wrist and he freaked out like a klutz. Just last week, Geno had accidentally brushed his arm while reaching for a bag of sugar and Sidney dropped an orange and the entire bowl of orange zest he had been working on onto the floor.

 

Stooping down, Sidney hastily starts to shove the taffy back into the bag, wanting to head out to the beach and hide under his umbrella as soon as possible.

“Sorry, Geno. I was thinking about something and you scared me, that’s all” he quickly explains. “What’s up?”

Geno, for maybe the first time in his life, looks… shy? Embarrassed? Either way, he’s worrying at his lower lip and refusing to meet Sidney’s eyes which is in turn, making him feel nervous. Oh god, what was wrong? Did he do something wrong? Was Geno going to quit? That was always a constant worry in Sid’s mind: that one day Geno was going to find a better job with higher wages and he’d want to quit working at the store. He’s about to say something, anything, but Geno beats him to the punch.

“You busy tonight, Sid?”

That’s not what he was expecting at all.

“Busy? Like in terms of the shop?” Sidney asks. He thinks for a moment. “I have some inventory to do. And I have to start thinking about some possible color combinations for the wedding order next week. Why, did you need my help with something?”

“No Sid, not what I mean” Geno sighs. “I mean, you have plans tonight?”

Plans? Sidney doesn’t ever really have plans. Sometimes, he has dinner at Flower’s or the Letangs, but Geno usually comes with him for those. They’re his friends too.

“No? Not particularly..?” Sidney cocks his head to the side, wondering what Geno is getting at.

Geno smiles briefly, but it’s quickly replaced by that same weird shyness.

“Good.” He lets out a deep breath before continuing, “Have to tell you something. Meet me at spot? 9 okay?”

Their “spot” refers to a picnic bench, flanked on either side by tall palm trees. The picnic bench itself is old and worn, far enough down and isolated on the beach that neither tourists nor locals really bother setting up there. Going to the spot means that whatever Geno tells him tonight, it’s important. It’s where Geno, about a month after starting to work for him, first told him about his family, shedding a few tears about how guilty he felt at leaving them behind. Their spot is where Sid, drunk on a few beers, had let it slip that as a child he’d been on track to play professional hockey, but a bad injury ended his chance immediately. He even told Geno about how he set up his life at the beach, so that he would never have to see ice again. And Geno had listened to all of this and simply put his arm around Sid’s shoulders, smoothing down his back as he cried little hiccups into Geno’s growingly damp shirt.

 

It was obvious that Geno could tell what Sidney was thinking because he gave a little crooked smile.

“Nothing bad Sid. Just… really important. That’s why I want meet at spot. Okay?” 

And what else could Sid do but nod?

 

The rest of the day passed by too quickly and too slowly at the same time. Sidney hardly paid attention to any of the feedback he was receiving from people. He was pretty sure someone mentioned the maple pecan being too sweet? But he was too busy trying to imagine what Geno was going to tell him later that all of it sounded muddled in his ears. He hadn’t even bothered to open the notebook that he brought to write comments in.

Was it something about his family? Did Geno finally talk to his parents? Or was it about the shop? Was there something Geno didn’t like? Something he wanted to change?

There was a small part of Sidney’s brain, a very small part, that he allowed to fantasize about Geno. And that part was whispering daydreams of Geno feeling the same way about him. Geno brought Sidney to their spot to tell him that he wanted to be together, that Sidney wasn’t alone in feeling unwanted and lonely, that Sidney was worthy of being loved. And Sidney would hug Geno hard, the way he’d always wanted to, and tell Geno that it was worth it. It was worth waiting all this time, if it meant that Sidney could have this part of Geno.

No way though was Sidney going to their spot empty-handed. His mom had raised him better than that. He quickly returned home, Geno and his part-timers having closed up the shop for the night, and showered off the sweat from the afternoon sun. He changed into a nice button-down and shorts and headed to his kitchen. Originally, he wasn’t planning on showing Geno what he was working on until it was perfected, but going to the spot meant this was serious and either way, sweets would be comforting to have.

For about a month, Sidney had been secretly working on a new flavor of taffy: pryaniki. The spiced honey cookies were Geno’s favorite childhood snack and ever since Geno mentioned craving some homemade ones, Sidney had been testing to see whether he could get the flavor right. Going off only the ones he had managed to buy from a Russian supermarket, Sidney had been trying different ratios of spices with varying levels of success. His latest batch was the closest he’d ever gotten to the flavor and even though he was worried about Geno’s reaction to the taste, he figured he would bring some tonight anyway. He wrapped a bunch of taffy pieces in cellophane and tied it all together with a gold ribbon before heading out.

 

The entire way from his car to their spot, Sidney could hear nothing but the dull roar of the waves in his ears. There were still a fair number of people swimming and drinking by the beach, but all Sidney could focus on was the general direction of the picnic bench. He had planned some responses and appropriate reactions in advance. Like if Geno told him he wanted to see his family again, Sidney would be nothing but reassuring and helpful. He could manage the store with his part-timers for a while. If Geno was having thoughts about having another job? Sidney would be the best supportive friend he could possibly be.

 

But nothing could have prepared Sidney for what he saw as the bench grew larger and larger in his field of vision. Underneath the beautiful violet sky, scattered stars winking, Geno sat with a woman. She must have been a model, Sidney thought absently, with her long blonde hair and curves barely hidden by her red bikini. She was smiling at Geno as if he had plucked the moon for her, and Sidney wondered if he ever stared at Geno like that. He must have at some point, considering how he couldn’t even blame the woman for the way she looked at him. Her hand was resting gently against his arm and she said something lowly that made Geno tilt his head back in laughter. Geno looked relaxed and loose, his crooked smile on full display.

For the second time that day, taffy pieces scattered to the floor.

And his heart broke in a knowing way.

This hurt wasn’t one of unfamiliarity, of shock or confusion. This was the hurt of shame and embarrassment. That he had allowed himself to fantasize and to dream. That he had made the mistake again of loving, and hoping that someone loved him in return.

Before Geno had a chance to spot him, Sidney turned around and headed to his car, his fingernails digging little half-moons into his palm.


	2. Chapter 2

Sidney wakes with a start, disoriented and head throbbing. He blinks rapidly, trying to get some moisture back into his eyes and reaches out blindly for a bottle of water on his bedside table, but only manages to knock it over onto the floor. Unlocking his phone, he winces at the bright light and is surprised to see that it’s almost three o’clock in the morning. He remembers getting home from the beach, face tear-streaked and nose running, and just bundling himself in some blankets before drifting off to sleep.  
He looks down at his phone again and is shocked at the number of notifications he has. Twenty-seven text messages and ten missed calls. With shaking fingers, Sidney scrolls down to read the texts. Most of them are from Geno, starting out worried and getting increasingly panicked.

-sid ok?

-sid where ru?

-sid get worried pls call

-sid? u safe? something happen?

-pls tell me u ok

There were some messages from Flower and Kris as well. Geno must have reached out to them when his calls weren’t getting through.  
-Sid, where are you? Geno says you guys were supposed to meet up tonight but you didn’t show. Is everything okay? Do you need me to come pick you up?  
-Hey Sid, got a call from Geno just now. Is everything ok? Are you at your house?

Sidney winces in guilt. He had meant to send a quick text to Geno last night, a small lie saying that he couldn’t make it, but he got home exhausted and couldn’t stop crying. He must have fallen asleep before he had the chance to send anything. Sidney wasn’t brave enough to open any of the voice messages. Just hearing Geno’s voice asking where he was, asking if he was okay would be enough to make Sidney start crying again, out of shame and guilt. 

He sends a quick text now, knowing how inadequate it is, but he figures it’s better than nothing.

-Hey Geno, I’m so so sorry. I got really sick and ended up falling asleep. I’ll talk to you soon. Sorry again.

Sidney reluctantly rolls of out of bed and heads to his bathroom, where he flinches at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes are red-rimmed and swollen from all the crying he did last night. The hollows in his cheeks are more pronounced and his lips are bitten and slightly red. He looks like someone just broke up with him. Which is stupid, Sidney thinks, because he and Geno were never together in the first place. He doesn’t have the right to feel pain over something that was all in his head.

The coffee machine starts sputtering and Sidney helps himself to a large mug, breathing in the sweet smell of his hazelnut creamer. He decided to take a shower and change in to his work clothes, thinking that since he’s up, he might as well head to the shop and get to work early. He’s in the middle of taking his second sip when he hears a loud thud? tap? against his front door. Startled, Sidney spills the scalding coffee all over his hand and cursing himself, gathers a bunch of paper towels to sop up the mess.  
What the hell was that? “Maybe an animal?” Sidney thought. But it wasn’t like the neighborhood squirrels tended to crash into his front door. Heart thumping, Sidney suddenly wondered if there was a robber trying to break into his house. The community was usually a very safe one, but be it his luck to have a robber target where he lived. 

Times like this, Sidney wished that he didn’t live alone. When he allowed himself to daydream, he thought of what would happen if he wasn’t alone, if he had Geno living with him. He wouldn’t have to scream and panic every time he saw a spider. Geno would gently trap it with a glass and set it free outside, like Sidney saw him do so many times at the shop. He always gives a little shy smile and says “They have feelings too, Sid. Can’t kill.” And Sidney pretends to not be completely charmed by hiding his face in a large mixing bowl.  
But another thought fills him with dread. Geno is instead lying in bed with the beautiful woman from the beach. And hearing a similar thump in the night, he gently extracts himself from her arms and gives her a kiss on the forehead. “I’m check up on noise baby, go back to sleep.”

Sidney doesn’t get to have that. So heart thumping for a different reason now, he looks around for a weapon and picks up the closest thing near him: a large balloon whisk that still has dried bits of caramelized sugar stuck to the end. He heads slowly to the front door and presses his ear against it, but hears nothing except for the familiar sound of crickets. Gripping the whisk tightly in his hand, Sidney starts to open his door a crack but is suddenly pushed back by the weight of something heavy leaning against the doorframe. Startled, he jumps and flings the whisk away from him, hearing it clatter against the hardwood floor somewhere near him. Geno, who had apparently been sitting down and leaning against the doorframe outside, tilts back as the door opens, and hits the back of his head on the floor.

Dazed, Sidney looks down at Geno who, having been startled awake, is now wincing and gently rubbing at a spot on his head.

“Geno, what the actual fuck?!” Sidney shouts. “You scared the shit out of me! What are you doing here? Were you sleeping outside my house?”

And in the span of two seconds, Geno goes from looking sheepish to absolutely furious.

“What about you, Sid?” he fires back. “You promise we meet at spot! But I go and wait and wait and you never show up! Never even say anything! I call and text you but no answer. I was so worry, Sid! Thought something happen to you so even call Flower and Tanger. What the fuck you doing?”

At this, Sidney immediately deflates. Ducking his head in apology, he stammers out “I’m so sorry Geno, I really am. I didn’t mean to abandon you at our spot, I promise.” Geno looks unconvinced at this so he continues saying “I… was feeling unwell for a while. I ended up just falling asleep so I didn’t see any of your texts and didn’t hear any calls. I really didn’t mean to abandon you. I’m so sorry.”

And Geno, being the kind of man Sidney fell in love with, immediately panics. “Sid, you sick? Feel sick? Where it hurt?” He presses the palm of his hand against Sidney’s forehead and it takes all of Sidney’s will to not lean into his touch. His hand is cool from being outside and he pulls it back after a moment, saying contemplatively “Hmm… no fever. Maybe you work too hard, Sid. Not sleep and eat enough.”

Sidney feels incredibly guilty about lying to Geno and is thinking about what he could possibly say to make up for it when he thinks about how cold Geno’s hands are. “Geno…” he starts. “Why were you sitting outside of my house?”

Geno ducks his head sheepishly, looking embarrassed. “Was worried about you. Scared that something happen so I come to your house. Want to make sure that you okay. But I keep ringing doorbell and bang on door and no answer. So I think that Sid have to come home sometime and I wait near door but must have fell asleep. Sorry Sid.”  
And Sidney is suddenly struck with the realization that he truly is in love with Geno. A man who is always willing to put others before himself, someone who’s willing to sit outside Sidney’s door all night to make sure that he’s okay. A man who is also taken. So of course the only logical course of action is that Sidney bursts into tears.

Even through his tears, Sidney can see Geno’s confusion and panic. “Sid? Why you cry? Did I say something bad? Sorry Sid, so sorry. Please don’t cry.” He envelops Sidney into a bear hug, pressing Sidney’s face against his chest and smooths a hand down his back, trying to comfort him. But this makes Sidney cry even harder because Geno is finally touching him, but for a different reason than what he always wanted. Sidney wraps his arms around Geno’s neck and lets himself be comforted. “I’m sorry,” he thinks to the woman from the beach. “I promise I’ll stay away from him now on. I’ll stop thinking about him and wanting more. Just please let me have this one moment.” Sidney matches his breaths to Geno’s and feels warm in his embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! And yes, I absolutely believe that is exactly how Geno texts.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading my very first fic! All comments and reviews are greatly appreciated. :)


End file.
